Mats Zuccarello, Rangers get 1st win at Barclays Center vs. Islanders

January 12, 2019

Mats Zuccarello scored late in the third period and the New York Rangers beat the Islanders 2-1 on Saturday for their first ever win at Barclays Center.

Zuccarello redirected the winner with his skate from in front of the net for his fifth goal of the season. Filip Chytil also scored and Alexandar Georgiev made 24 saves to help the Rangers win in Brooklyn for the first time since the Islanders began playing home games there in 2015.

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The Islanders had been 13-2-0 in the teams’ previous 15 meetings overall.

Chris Kreider celebrates the game winning goal by Mats Zuccarello (far right) at 14:55 of the third period against Robin Lehner of the Isles. (Bruce Bennett / Getty Images)

The game completed a home-and-home between the Islanders and Rangers, which began on Thursday at Madison Square Garden. It also marked the final meeting between the Big Apple rivals this season, with each team winning two games.

Anthon Beauvillier scored for the Islanders and Robin Lehner made 24 saves in his second consecutive start.

Beauvillier broke a scoreless tie at 8:40 of the second period. The forward took a pass from Josh Bailey near the side of the net, quickly spun around and slid the puck past Georgiev on the power play.

The goal came moments after the Islanders’ Nick Leddy hit the post with a backhand.

Chytil evened it at 14:09 after an Islanders turnover in the neutral zone. Lehner made the initial stop on a shot by Boo Nieves, but Chytil was there to put back the rebound.

TES: The Rangers had been 2-6-2 in their previous 10 games. The Islanders had been 8-2-0. … Rangers F Kevin Hayes missed his fifth straight game with an upper-body injury. … Islanders D Luca Sbisa appeared in his first game since Dec. 23 against Dallas. He has appeared in nine games this season with the Islanders. … The Rangers scratched D Brendan Smith and D Neal Poinl. … The Islanders scratched D Adam Pelech, F Tom Kuhnhackl and F Michael Dal Colle.